EASTON, Pa. (AP) — A professor at a Pennsylvania college says he’s on a hunger strike over the denial of his application for tenure.
Juan Rojo announced his plan during a faculty meeting on Tuesday and says he expects to continue teaching at Lafayette College in Easton through the rest of the semester. He says he plans to consume only water and sports drinks until the issue is resolved.
Rojo has taught Spanish language and literature at the college since 2008.
A committee voted to recommend Rojo for tenure in December, but college President Alison Byerly denied his tenure, saying he didn’t exhibit “distinctive” teaching abilities.
The college says it respects Rojo’s right to disagree with the decision, but hopes he will express his views in a way that doesn’t endanger his health.
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TPM material because???
Single-point approval/denial always has problems. Why exactly is there a committee?
On a side note, at many medical schools, where clinic billing and research grant money are the only real measures of your worth to the university, “Tenure” is just a title. It is not related to job security. Presumably, the clinicians make enough to offset the insecurity (gotta stay productive!). But the PhD researchers are fully constrained by whether they can get government grants. Since the Second Gulf War all federal funding for medical research has been in the toilet (can’t stay productive without grants…!).
Click bait.
…that apparently works.
It’s TPM’s version of “News of the Weird”.
And is this guy doing this from his safe space?